The present invention relates to an apparatus for sealing and protecting substrates, in particular electrical conductors.
Various apparatuses have been proposed in the prior art for protecting substrates from adverse environmental effects, so as to provide either electrical insulation, corrosion protection, or both. One prior art method has been to paint such substrates, this method being obviously disadvantageous in that it is time consuming, provides protection for only relatively short periods of time, and reentry is difficult. Other methods include the provision of applying greases about such substrates, and the disadvantage of this method is that greases do not tend to be overly stable when subjected to temperature and humidity cycling. Also, reenterability is messy since greases tend to be viscous and adhere to the substrate when a container for containing the grease is removed from the substrate.
Gels having cone penetrations between 100 and 350 (10.sup.-1 mm) and ultimate elongations in excess of 200% are known for protecting substrates, as for example as explained in copending U.S. Ser. Nos. 434,011 filed Oct. 12, 1982; 504,000 filed June 13, 1983, a continuation-in-part of U.S. Ser. Nos. 434,011; 507,433 filed June 23, 1983 now abandoned, a continuation-in-part of both the '011 and '000 applications; 756,559, filed July 17, 1985, a continuation of the '433 application; and 646,555 filed Aug. 31, 1984, now abandoned in favor of two continuations-in-part, U.S. Ser. Nos. 772,072 and 772,073 both filed Sep. 3, 1985 and U.S. Ser. No. 859,162 filed May 2, 1986 as a continuation-in-part of U.S. Ser. No. 772,073, all assigned to the assignee of the present invention, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
In particular, copending U.S. Ser. No. 507,433 discloses a crimp ring connector having a gel of the type described in a center portion thereof. To make electrical connection between first and second wires, an outer portion of the container containing the gel is compressed so as to compress the crimp ring therewithin into contact with the first and second wires. Though this method and corresponding apparatus provide an excellent means of electrically interconnecting first and second wires, it is disadvantageous in that the apparatus is not practicable when only corrosion protection is desired rather than electrical connection since the metal crimp ring may inadvertently pierce insulation layers on the conductors and short them out. Also, the container for the gel tends to be unduly expensive since it must be made of a relatively high quality material which is capable of not being pierced so as to maintain its physical integrity upon being crimped. In addition, a further disadvantage is that the material from which the container is made tends to relax over time which encourages separation between the crimp ring and the material of the container which can potentially form a void for moisture condensation, and also results in a relatively low crimp retention force.